Parliament police to wear new uniforms at start of next House term
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai said that Parliament police will wear new uniforms when the new House of Representatives’ term begins after the next general election.
“I expect that the use of new uniforms will not be in time for the current House’s term because a provisional regulation prohibits it,” Chuan said.
The current House is due to end its four-year term in March next year.
Chuan said Parliament police officers themselves wanted to change their uniforms after Parliament surveyed their opinion.
The speaker said the House cannot order police to change their uniforms as everything has to proceed in accordance with a provisional regulation that requires the use of current uniforms to continue until the current term of the House expires.
Chuan added that Parliament police officers did not have to worry about the cost because politicians would bear the expense.
“The money will not come from the officers’ pockets or the state budget because this is an internal affair of Parliament,” Chuan said.
It was reported that Parliament police officers disagreed with the plan to change their uniforms, as they argued their current uniforms had been in use for just six months.
A source said Chuan approved on June 12 the plan to “improve the uniforms of Parliament police to suit the present time”. The plan calls for 200 new uniforms to be procured at 5,000 baht apiece by December, which requires a budget of at least 2 million baht. The uniform upgrade covers shirts, pants, skirts, buttons, hats and insignia.